Breaking the Ice
by Song of Calandra
Summary: A modern Beauty and the Beast. Lily is a shy and lonely girl, intimidated by her project partner Max.
1. Chapter 1: Lily

The dead white-gray color of winter spilled inside from the window. White-gray snow, slush and sky became white-gray walls, desks and lights. I'd never felt so bored and lonely in my life. Behind me, I heard people whispering and giggling. I heard guys talking about last night's game and girls talking about how drunk they got at some party over the weekend. The professor was projecting a transparency on the wall, discussing some grammar rules that I already knew. I was required to take this English composition course, and I considered it a complete waste of time, as most students did. _I wish I had some friends in this school, _I thought. _At least then I'd have a way to pass the time here.  
_  
I had tried my best to make friends here, I really had. It was no use. I was too shy. Everyone already seemed to have so many friends. I barely ever saw anyone by themselves, and when I did, they were soon joined by others. It was as though I were the only solitary person on the whole campus. I hadn't seen any of my family since I'd moved here at the beginning of the last semester. I hated it here. I'd never felt so bored, lonely, and depressed in my entire life.  
  
"All right, now it's time to choose partners for our next project." I suddenly heard the professor say. I panicked. Why couldn't the professor just assign groups? I didn't know anyone in this class! I reluctantly tapped the shoulder of the girl sitting in front of me. "Would you wanna work together?" I asked.  
  
"Sorry, I've already got a partner." Desperate, I turned to the guy next to me.  
  
"Would you-"  
  
"Sorry." He cut me off.  
  
Before I knew it, the class was divided into 15 groups of two, and I was all by myself. Feeling like a kindergarten student, I approached the professor. She was a woman who was at least in her 50's, with that bland soul-killing shade of white-gray in her hair, eyes, and clothes.  
  
"Excuse me," I said softly. "I can't find a partner. Maybe I could work alone?"  
  
"No, you have to learn to work in a group. That's what this project is all about."  
  
I restrained myself from rolling my eyes. "Well then, should I join a group of two, or should I..."  
  
She scanned a piece of paper. "It seems that Mr. Maxwell Berenger has decided not to show up again. I suppose he can be your partner."  
  
I had no idea who she was talking about. She seemed to register the blank look on my face. "Here's his phone number and e-mail so you can get in touch with him."  
  
"Okay..." I sat back down at my desk. I really didn't want to work with this guy who hadn't shown up to class since it had began three weeks ago. I knew I would wind up working on the project all alone. I sighed and started planning some ideas for the informative poster I would have to create and present, but wound up making sketches on the back of my notebook.  
  
After what seemed hours of sitting alone at my desk, listening to everyone talk about their projects for five minutes and then start to gossip, having nothing to do with myself, unable to stop myself from blushing because I felt like such a loser, the class ended and I left the building and stepped outside. The temperature matched the pale shade of the scenery: bitter cold, biting wind, no sun, no warmth. I trudged through the heavy wet snow to the dining hall.  
  
I entered the cafeteria-style building, grabbed a tray, and got myself some food. Desperate to shake off the depressing isolation I felt, I scanned the room for someone to talk to. Somebody, anybody, I thought. Someone from class, someone from my building, there must be someone all alone. I saw a guy from my psychology class by himself at a table. He looked cute, seemed nice. Feeling a bit better, ignoring the flutter of nervousness in my stomach, I smiled and headed towards him.  
  
"Hi." I said, holding up my tray. He didn't look up. My smile wavered. "Mind if I sit here?" He acknowledged me, picked up his tray, and walked away with a curt, "It's all yours." Feeling crushed, defeated, I sat down at the table alone and tried not to let my disappointment show.  
  
Fifteen minutes later I dumped my tray and headed across the street to the dormitory that housed my room. I climbed up three flights of stairs and entered my room. Most colleges required roommates, but my school had a single room policy. I was glad to have the room to myself, drab though it was. The walls and ceiling were a whitish beige, the carpet a pale gray. I sat on my bed and turned on the TV. After flipping through the channels for almost half an hour, I turned it back off, disgusted. It was no replacement for human companionship. I wanted to cry; I felt so alone.  
  
Suddenly, my phone rang. I didn't hesitate to pick it up. Who could it be? One of my parents? My older sister? I didn't care. I was just happy to have someone to talk to.  
  
"Hello?" I said as I brought the phone to my ear.  
"Hey. Is this Lily Blanca?" an unfamiliar male voice asked.  
"Yes. Who's this?" I replied.  
"Max Berenger. Your, ah, partner."  
"Oh." I paused. "I wasn't really expecting you to call."  
"Why's that?" he asked. I blushed, and was glad he couldn't see it.  
"Well, you never show up for class, and..." I trailed off.  
"Oh, that. Well, that class bores the hell out of me, and I found out about some rule where if you put assignments in a professor's mailbox, they have to accept it. And since there's no attendance policy, I get away with it." He laughed. "Good thing for that old bag's Syllabus for Dummies. It spells out every assignment to the letter." I accidently let out a ditzy titter. _Great_, I thought, _now he's going to think I'm a moron_.  
"So when do you want to meet to work on this?" I asked, changing the subject.  
"As soon as possible. I want to get that stupid crap out of the way. I've got real classes to deal with."  
"OK."  
"Why don't I come down to your room so we can figure out what to write about, maybe get an outline done or something?" he suggested. "I hate doing that useless shit, but I know it's required."  
"Right now?" I asked, hating the mousy alarmed tone of my voice.  
"Yeah, sure. If that's OK with you, of course."  
"Yes, that's fine." I said. "I live in Brown Hall, room 302."  
"Hey, cool, I live right down the hall in 306."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. Guess I've got no excuse for being late now. See you in a few."  
"OK. Bye." I said, not really expecting a reply. To my surprise, he said goodbye before he hung up. I tidied up my room a bit, then checked my reflection in the mirror. My long mousy brown hair was a mess. I ran a brush through it, then put on some lip gloss. Half of me was excited. _You have plans tonight! _I thought. _You have something to do! And even better, someone to do it with! Maybe you'll become friends! Maybe he'll be cute! Maybe then you'll become more than friends!_ The other half was cynical. _He'll be counting the seconds until he can leave. You'll be too shy to talk to him. The teacher forced him to work with you, he's not interested in you. He'll be bored. Maybe he'll even request a change of partners. _My mood wavered between joy and anxiety. Just when I thought I was about to explode, there came a knock on the door. "Who is it?" I called out. "It's Max." came the reply. _Well_, I thought, _here goes nothing. _


	2. Chapter 2: Max

Author's note: I have changed the first chapter since the first time I wrote it, so you might like to go back and re-read it. I was reluctant to keep working on this piece, but people seem to like it.

In retrospect, I should have looked through the peephole first; perhaps then I wouldn't have been so surprised by what I saw. I swung open the door and was assaulted by eyes as grey and hard as steel, lined with black. He grinned at me, but I could only stare. His jet black hair stood up in a mass of spikes, adding at least six inches to his height. His ears were pierced with silver rings and studs, and another silver ring pierced his lip. He wore a black T-shirt, faded and torn grey jeans, and scuffed black boots.  
  
"Hey. I'm Max. You must be Lily." he said.  
  
"Yes. H-hi." I stammered. I couldn't take my eyes off him, and I was simply speechless. Ordinarily I was timid around new people, especially guys, but this...this was something else. I'd never really seen anyone dressed that way in real life before. No one in my small, suburbian high school had dressed in that fashion. No one else at the college did either. I'd seen them in movies and on TV, and once while walking down the street in the city. That's all. Never would I have expected to see a punk rocker at the door to work on a school project with me.  
  
He slowly looked me up and down. I felt naked under his steely gaze. "So are we gonna stand here in the doorway all night, or are we gonna get this shit over with?" he asked impatiently. I blushed and got out of the way. He entered the room and looked around. "Wow," he said. "Your room is really plain. Don't you have any posters or photos or anything?" I shook my head. He made a non-commital noise. I took out some paper and a pen and sat on the bed.  
  
"So what should we write about? Any ideas?" I asked softly. He turned around and sat on the bed next to me. My heart did backflips.  
  
"Well, we're supposed to be writing about a cause we both feel strongly about. Is there anything like that you're really passionate about?" he questioned. He drummed his fingers on his leg as he waited for me to respond, and I noticed that his fingernails were painted black. I shrugged.  
  
"I can't really think of anything." I said.  
  
"Nothing?" What about world hunger? War? The death penalty? Abortion? Don't you have an opinion on any of those?" The silver ring through his lip flashed.  
  
"Well, I guess we could write about hunger." I said, choosing the first. I felt embarrassed. I just wasn't a very political person.  
  
"Yeah, sure. So we need some statistics, and some reasons it happens, how the government does and doesn't help them..." He wrote some ideas on the paper.  
  
"Solutions." I said suddenly.  
  
"What about them?" he asked, confused. I blushed again.  
  
"We could talk about possible solutions." I said.  
  
"Good idea." He wrote it down. "Well, I think we got enough stuff to get started with. How 'bout you research the top half, I'll research the bottom half, and next time we'll work on getting the paper done."  
  
"OK." I replied. "Tomorrow?"  
  
"Sure. Come up to my room around six." he said. "You remember where it is?" I nodded. He smiled, and went to leave. Suddenly he turned. "Hey, I've got jack shit to do tonight. Would you wanna go out for a cup of coffee or something?" he asked.  
  
My heart raced as I shook my head. "No. No thanks. I'd rather not." I said. He shrugged.  
  
"All right. Tomorrow, then." He left. After he closed the door, I threw myself down on my bed. I was such a loser. He probably just felt sorry for me. But what was I doing? Why did I say no? I needed a friend so badly. Yet....I didn't know if I wanted to be friends with him. He was so weird. I could imagine everyone staring at us, whispering about us as we went by. He also seemed kind of mean. I remembered the comment he made in the doorway and wanted to curl up under my bed and never leave. Besides, just look at him. He'd probably try to rob me or rape me or something. I knew that was unfair, but I couldn't help feeling that way. I really didn't want to go to his room tomorrow, but what choice did I have?


	3. Chapter 3: Tora

Author's note: I know I said in my profile that I was putting this one on hold, but I've been inspired to continue it. Hopefully this chapter will answer some of the questions my reviewers have been asking.

The next day, after class, I made my way back to my building, went up to my room, and did my research. Finally, it was almost six 'o clock; time for my meeting with Max. I took a deep breath, grabbed my backpack, and headed down the hall.

I stared at the door for a moment. Room 306. The name "Max" was scrawled onto the blackboard with red chalk in bold, capital letters. I could hear music, chatting, laughter. It sounded as though Max had company. I didn't know what to do. I was so shy around individuals; I was even more timid around groups. Finally I decided to face the music and knock on the door.

"Just a sec!" I heard Max call out. The door opened to reveal a girl my age with short purple-dyed hair, a ring in her nose, and a cynical look in her brown eyes. I gathered up all my confidence and gave her a faltering smile.

"Hi. I'm Lily." I said, putting out my hand for her to shake. She ignored it, then moved out of my way. I glanced around the room. The plain white walls were covered with colorful posters, photos, and artwork. A stereo played heavy punk music. Max sat on the bed, a smirk on his face.

"Never mind Miss Suzy Sunshine. Come right in." The girl made a face at him. I went in and closed the door behind me. "Take a seat." I obediently sat down at his desk. The girl glared at me.

"I was sitting there." she said.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I-"

"Jeez, Tora, give her a break. I didn't see your name written on it." Max spoke up. Tora did not reply. We were all silent for a few awkward moments, the only sound being the loud, fast song on the cd player. I looked at the walls around the desk. I saw a color pencil sketch of a boy in his late teens with ash blond hair, an innocent, babyish face, and a hard look about his eyes that was quite contrasting to his features, not to mention vaguely familiar. Feeling brave, I ventured, "Did you draw this, Max? It's very good." I gestured towards the sketch.

"Nope, that was Tora. She did that when we were in high school." I looked over at Tora and was surprised to see her wearing a shy smile.

"It's not that good. I've gotten a lot better." she admitted.

"I think it's great. Who is it, someone in your family or something?" I asked. She started to laugh.

"He doesn't look familiar at all?" she asked me when she calmed down.

"Well, yeah, but I can't figure out who it is." I told her.

"It's Max!" she said, and broke into peals of laughter once again.

"Max?!?" I looked from the sketch back to the now embarrassed Max. He had changed so much - the dyed hair, the piercings, the clothes. It was hard to believe that under all of that was a normal, ordinary guy.

"Yeah, it's me." he muttered. "The only reason I keep that stupid thing is because it's going to be worth millions one day."

"Oh, Max, get out of here." Tora said. I smiled. I felt a lot less ill at ease; it didn't seem like Tora hated me anymore.

"So you guys have known each other since high school?" I asked.

"Even before then." Max said. "We've known each other since elementary school."

"We're practically brother and sister." Tora chimed in.

"Wow. I wish I had a friend like that here." I said wistfully.

"Well, I don't go here. I go to the Rosholt School of Design, a little further upstate." Tora explained. "I just come and visit when I can."

"Oh." I said. "Still though, I wish I had some more friends here. But no one here even wants to talk to me."

"You wanna know why? 'Cause this place is snobbier than Ivy League. Just about everyone who goes here is some wealthy spoiled brat, and they know anyone who's anyone, and all that shit, and they all go around in their little rich kid cliques." Tora spat.

"Really?" I said incredulously. "I knew this school was expensive, but I never really thought of it that way."

"Yeah. The only reason I'm here is because of a scholarship." Max said.

"Me too. My family doesn't really have much money." I said. Max nodded.

"If you think they don't like you, imagine what it's like for me. I've practically gotten death threats." Max said. His eyes grew dark and sad. There was something else I hadn't thought of. As much trouble as I had had making friends here, Max must have had it twice as bad. I felt sorry for him.

"Why don't you just dress more normal then?" I asked him. His eyes grew hard again, his expression tough, his voicepassionate.

"I'm not going to change the way I am just to fit in with everyone else. I'm my own person, and if they can't accept that, then I don't want to be friends with them." I had to admire his strength of character. I could never in a million years be as bold as he was.

"That's my Max. Well, I've got to get out of here, and from what Max told me, you guys have got some work ahead of you." Tora said. She looked at me. "Sorry I was such a bitch when you got here. I just thought you were gonna be one of those rich kids. I guess I was wrong." She smiled at me. I smiled back.

"It's ok." I told her.

"Tora, Tora, Tora." Max said, shaking his head. "You of all people should know not to judge someone by how they look." He got off the bed and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "See ya later."

"Bye bye, Max. Nice meeting you, uh . . ."

"Lily." I supplied.

"Lily. Have a good one." With that, Tora left Max's dorm, leaving the two of us alone together.


	4. Chapter 4: Lucky

A/N: Yes, I'm still alive, lol. Ironically, the work of being an English major with the hopes of becoming a writer have left me with no time to write. Please don't give up on me or my stories! I promise to try my best to finish them!

* * *

The song playing on the stereo ended, and must have been the last one on the CD, because an oppressive and awkward silence then overtook the room once more.

"So, did you find a lot of information?" Max asked me.

"What? Oh, yeah. I found some."

"Why don't you come over here and we can take a look at what we've got." he said, motioning the spot beside him on the bed with his hand.

"Okay." I nearly squeaked. Obediently I rose from his desk chair and sat a fairly good distance away from him on the bed. He immediately scooted closer to me, spreading out a few sheets of paper on his lap.

"I've got some statistics here that I thought were interesting, they should be pretty useful. I noticed that . . ." He continued talking about his research while I contemplated how strange it felt to hear such intelligent words coming out of the mouth of someone who looked like he belonged out getting drunk and setting fires and spraypainting buildings. I wonder if he did those sort of things. As I was half-listening to Max, half-wondering what exactly he did in his spare time, I felt something brush up against my ankle. Instantly I shot up and found myself standing on top of Max's bed.

"What the hell was that!?!?" I screeched.

"What are you talking about?" Max asked. I looked down to see the confused expression on his face, and then I saw a large furry head poke out from underneath his bed.

"RAT!" I shrieked and pointed. "Rat, rat, rat!"

To my surprise, Max jumped up on top of the bed and clapped one of his large hands over my mouth. "Shhhh . . ." he whispered. "Calm down. Just calm down. It's not a rat." He took his hand off of me, jumped off the bed, then offered me his hand to help me get down. I ignored it, jumping off in the same fashion. "Jeez, I hope no one heard you. That's not a rat. It's my ferret, Lucky. I'm not supposed to keep her here."

"Ferret?" I asked. I'd never seen one before. I thought they were illegal or something. Max got down on all fours to look under the bed and coax the animal out. I watched him for a moment, then looked back down at the floor when I found myself thinking rather disturbing thoughts about his ass.

"Here she is." Max said, settling into a kneeling position. He was cuddling a grey creature which, although to me still bore a significant resemblance to a giant rat, was still pretty cute. I tentatively reached out a finger to pet her. "Do you want to hold her?" he asked. I nodded nervously, and he handed the squirming ferret over to me. I took her in my hands, but she soon began to wriggle out of them, and so I lowered her to the floor. She backed away from me, teeth bared, back arched.

"I don't think she likes me." I said somewhat sadly.

"Sure she does. That's what ferrets do when they're happy. I heard someone call it the Dance of Ferret Joy." I giggled.

"You have a really cute smile." Max said suddenly.

"I - uh - thanks." I replied. "We should probably get back to working on the project" I added quickly.

"Yeah, you're right." he said. "Back to the grind."

We got most of the report done that night, working in awkward silence. Every once in a while I would look up from a paper to see Max looking at me. I'd blush and avert my eyes. I didn't know what to do or say. I'd never met a guy so persistent in all my life. I never really considered myself attractive, and that sentiment was validated by the fact that I never had guys chasing me around and asking me out. I couldn't help but shake the feeling that Max only felt sorry for me, or only wanted to go out with me because I was the only one who talked to him. I didn't know how to tell him that I wasn't interested, and that even if I was interested, I knew that deep down inside he really didn't like me as much as he seemed to.

We arranged to meet back in his room the next night to finish the project. Max started to ask me out again, but I cut him off, saying I had some other homework to do. I felt bad that I was being rude to him, but what else could I do?


	5. Chapter 5: Rejection

Tonight was my last meeting with Max. The project was due tomorrow, so I knew we would finish it tonight. I couldn't wait for it to be over. No more awkwardness, no more shyness, no more of Max's unnerving stares. I wouldn't have to talk to him anymore.

So why was my heart racing? Why did I have a sick feeling in my stomach? Why did I spend nearly an hour getting ready, staring into the mirror, trying to see what Max saw? All I could see was an ordinary, plain looking girl, brown eyes, long brown hair, jeans and a T-shirt, no makeup other than lip balm. No supermodel figure. Not the good looks of an actress. Not the shimmering image of perfection displayed in every magazine. Why would anyone want someone like me?

I sighed and went to Max's room.

"Max? It's me." I said after knocking on the door. "Lily."

"Come on in." he called out. Finding the door unlocked, I opened it and entered the room. Max was sitting on the bed, surrounded by a sea of papers. "Hey. How's it going?" he asked as I walked in.

"Fine. You?"

"Alright. Did you get all your homework done last night?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

"That's good. Well, I guess we gotta get all this stuff typed up." he said. "Are you a fast typer? I've never been able to get past the hunt and peck method."

I gave him a small smile and nodded. "Yeah, I can type pretty fast. I could type it for us."

"Sounds good." he said. I sat in the chair at his desk, the same chair I had sat in the day before. I opened up a word processor and typed our names, the date, the class. Max handed me one of the papers and I began to type. After I finished, Max stood behind me and suggested changes. "I think a comma might go better there." he murmured close to my ear and pointed to the screen. "Oh, and I think you typed 'the' twice over there." he said. Of course I had screwed up. He was so close to me, and all I could think about was his presence. I noticed a sentence that could use rewording, so I highlighted it, deleted it, and began to retype it when suddenly I felt Max's fingers running through my hair.

For a second, I almost stood up, told him to leave me alone, that I didn't want to date him, that I didn't want anything to do with him, he was just too different. But then I noticed how nice it felt. I thought about how much I had wanted a friend, someone to talk to. I thought of how badly I had secretly longed for a boyfriend, or at least a date; how I had craved the warmth and touch and affection of another. Max was willing to give that to me. In that moment, I couldn't understand why I had been denying him.

"Sorry. I couldn't resist. You hair is so beautiful." he whispered in my ear. I almost melted at the low seductive tone of his voice, and suddenly I realized how much I would like to kiss him. I turned to face him.

I couldn't even remember closing my eyes, but I opened them then. I saw the warm, gentle expression on his face, but I also saw the shiny silver ring in his lip. My romantic thoughts shattered. I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to kiss him with _that_. That cold, hard steel intimidated me so. I shook my head.

"I can't do this. I'm sorry, Max, but I can't. The report's pretty much finished, so I guess you can just print it out and leave it in the teacher's mailbox or something. I've got to go." I rose shakily from the chair and ran for the door.

"Lily, wait! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to pressure you!" I heard him call after me. I ignored him, went to my room, and locked the door. I couldn't believe I had ever felt so miserable being alone. It might have been lonely, but it sure was a hell of a lot less confusing.


	6. Chapter 6: Compromise

The next day, I sat in a seat by the window in the dreary composition class. Looking outside at the desolate snow-covered landscape, I wished desperately for spring to arrive. Spring meant warmth, green, a return to home, family and friends. It seemed like this winter would last forever. The occasional ray of sunshine bursting through the clouds, the squirrels that braved the cold to scratch through the snow for food, the days that were just warm enough to go outside without a hat and gloves and three layers of clothing, these gave me hope, but not enough.

My thoughts were suddenly assaulted by the intrusion of my professor. "Miss Blanca, please turn in your report."

"My report? Oh, my partner left it in your mailbox." I replied.

"I checked my mail before class, Miss Blanca. I found no project from you or from Mr. Berenger."

"Are you sure? He told me that he always leaves his papers in your mailbox."

"I assure you, Miss Blanca, there was nothing there."

"But - "

"I have the report right here, ma'am." I turned to the back of the class to see Max standing in the doorway holding a copy of our work in his hand. As he approached the teacher, every single pair of eyes in the classroom followed him. Max didn't seem to notice or care. He handed his report to the shocked professor, then took a seat behind me.

"How nice of you to drop by. Mr. Berenger, I'm assuming?"

"Call me Max." he said, and the class laughed. I couldn't help but crack a smile. The teacher, however, did not look amused. She continued on with her lesson plan. After class, I tried to hurry along to my dorm but Max was persistent in following me.

"Hey, partner, wait up." he said. "I want to talk to you." He caught me by the arm. I whipped around.

"Leave me alone, Max." I told him. "We're done with the project now. I don't want to talk to you anymore." Trying to ignore the look of shock and hurt on his face, I turned back around and attempted to run in the direction of my building. Unfortunately, I happened to be standing on a patch of ice, and slipped. Before I could hit the ground, Max caught me. I couldn't stop the tears from falling down my cheeks.

"Look, Lily, maybe I was coming on a little too strong. I understand if you don't want to go out with me. But I don't see why we can't be friends. I really like you." he said as he helped me back to my feet.

"Why would you like me? I'm an idiot." I sniffled. To my dismay, he laughed.

"Lily, you're not an idiot, and there's lots of reasons I should like you. You're nice, you're smart, you're cute."

"But I've been so mean to you!"

"Up until last night, you've been a perfect lady. And I can understand why you acted the way you did."

I realized then that either Max didn't know the true reason I didn't want to date him, or knew but simply did not acknowledge it. I stood there staring at him, struggling for something to say.

"Look, why don't we just go out to a movie in the city this Friday, as friends. Then, if you still don't want anything to do with me, we'll go our seperate ways. Deal?"

I stared at him for a long time. "Deal."

"All right then. I'll pick you up at 7. I'd walk you home, but I've got another class to get to."

"Okay." I said, sheepishly swiping at my tears with the back of my sleeve.

"Oh, and Lily? Watch out for that ice, it's a doozy." he said with a playful smirk.

"Very funny." I said, and walked back to my room.


	7. Chapter 7: Date?

Five knocks to the rhythm of "Shave and a Haircut" announced Max's arrival.

"Just a second!" I yelled. I was at the mirror, checking over my appearance. I hadn't dressed up. I didn't really have anything dressy, and we were only going to the movies . . . as friends. I had worn mascara though, as well as perfume and strawberry-flavored tinted lip gloss I had bought that day. Oh, Jeez. He would see right through me and notice how much work I had put into getting ready. I tugged at both sides of my hair, wondering what to do with it. Finally I gave up and decided to just wear it down.

Max knocked again. "I'm coming, I'm coming! Don't get your panties in a bunch!" I groaned inwardly. Force of habit, that little saying. It was an inside joke between me and some of my old friends. I opened the door.

"Actually, they're boxers, but - whoa." He caught himself, then grinned. "You look great."

I just knew he would notice the extra effort I had put into my appearance and tease me about it. "Oh, shut up." I said with a scowl, annoyed. Then I realized he actually meant it. Lucky for me, he seemed to think I was flirting. "You look . . . nice." I said, then blushed, not sure if I truly meant it. He was wearing his usual dark clothing, a leather jacket under his arm. He had on more eye makeup than I did, and his hair was spiked straight up rather then all over. All rings and studs were accounted for.

"Thanks. So you wanna head out?"

"Sure." I said. I grabbed my coat and went out into the hall, closing the door behind me. Suddenly I noticed the large bandage on his elbow. I pointed at it. "What happened?" I vaguely wondered if it had something to do with an intravenous drug, then scolded myself for even thinking it.

"Oh, this? I donated blood today. See?" He proudly turned around to show me the "Be nice to me, I gave blood today" sticker stamped on the back pocket of his tight jeans.

"Ouch." I said, again scolding myself, both for thinking something so mean about him when he had in reality performed such a charitable act, and also for checking out his ass. Yet again.

"It really doesn't hurt that much." he said, turning back around. "Have you ever donated before?"

"No, never." I said, shaking my head fearfully. "I hate needles."

"You really should. It's a good thing to do." he paused. "The blood drive's going on until Sunday down at Braddock Hall. Maybe you can go down tomorrow."

"I don't know . . . " It sounded really scary to me.

"C'mon . . . I'll go with you to keep you company. It won't hurt a bit, I promise."

"Well . . ." His grey eyes were as big, round, and sad as a puppy dog's. "I suppose." I relented. He beamed.

"That's great. I'll swing by around twelve. I'm guessing you sleep in as late as I do on the weekends?" he asked as he shrugged on his jacket, which was covered in metal spikes.

I laughed. "Well, not _that _late." I said, slipping mine on as well.

"C'mon, let's go, don't wanna miss the movie." To my surprise, he took my hand in his.

"Hey, wait a minute. We don't even know what we're seeing. And why are you holding my hand? I thought we were going just as friends?" I said.

"Friends can hold hands. I hold Tora's hand all the time." he said with a surprisingly shy smile.

"Well, all right. Let's go." We headed downstairs hand in hand. When we got outside, Max led me to his car, a beat-up old junkbox the color of rust. "We're going in _that_?" I asked incredulously.

"Yep. That's my baby. Right up there with Tora and Lucky." he said. He went over to the passenger side.

"What are you doing? You expect me to drive that thing?"

He laughed. "No. I'm getting the door for you."

"Uh, thanks." I said as I got in. He closed the door for me as I adjusted my seat belt. He got in the driver's side and started up the car.

"Off we go." he said. I didn't know what to think. No matter what he said, he obviously thought of this as a date.

I was on a date with Max Berenger.


	8. Chapter 8: Movies

We entered the cinema holding hands, and stood staring at the marquee, trying to decide what we would watch.

"Hmmmm . . . how about _The Mists of London_?" Max suggested.

I snorted. "You _can't_ be serious."

"What makes you think I'm not?"

"I know you're only suggesting that chick-flick piece of junk because you think I'll like it."

Max looked surprised, then gave an exaggerated shrug. "You caught me. I kinda wanted to see _Whipped_."

_Whipped_. What was that about again? Oh, right, the typical comedy about a guy whose girlfriend bosses him around and his buddies who try to get him out of the relationship. I really didn't want to see it. But Max did, and I really did want him to like me. Wait, did I? I didn't know what I wanted. I almost relented, allowing him to drag me to the stupid movie, when I saw a title that interested me.

"I dunno Max, that movie seemed kind of juvenile."

He pouted. "But that's what makes it seem so funny."

"I don't know about you, but I wanna see _Blood Lust 7_."

"Are you serious?" he asked, his eyes widening.

"Yeah. I love horror movies. I've seen every single Blood Lust."

"I don't believe it." he scoffed. "Prove it."

"How?" I asked.

"Ummmm . . . in _Blood Lust 3_, how does Brian Brown kill . . . uh . . . what's his name, you know, the squeaky voiced kid who looked like Corey Feldman."

"The character's name was Billy, and he was tragically thrown up into a high-powered industrial fan, splattering blood all over the factory."

If Max's eyes got any wider, they would pop out of his head. I smiled. Max must have been used to getting shocked looks from me; now I could enjoy the feeling. "Wow . . . you're my kind of woman!" he said. I blushed. "I never would have figured you for a slice and dice fan."

"So I'm assuming that's a yes on _Blood Lust 7_?" I asked with a wicked grin.

"Oh, yeah." Max agreed. We got in line to get our tickets. I felt Max stroke my hand with one calloused thumb. I looked up at him and gave him a shy smile. Finally, I admitted it to myself: despite the piercings, the hair, the clothes, the makeup, deep down inside, I liked Max.

I looked over to the snack bar and recognized some people standing in line from school. They were staring at us; one girl whispered to another and pointed at Max, and giggled. Ashamed and embarrassed, I let go of his hand and stepped away from him. I didn't know which hurt more: the tittering girls or the hurt look on Max's face.

After we got our tickets, Max asked if I could get us some seats while he bought some snacks. I agreed, heading into the dark movie theater, glad that I wouldn't have to face the people from school. I tried to forget that it was Max who would have to wait in line behind them, listening to their giggling and whispering.


	9. Chapter 9: Friends

Soon I saw a tall guy with a mass of spikes silloheted against the movie screen. It had to be Max. I called out to him, and he sat down beside me. "I got you some candy." he whispered.

"You didn't have to do that." I said, feeling guilty. "What did you get me?"

"Well, I wasn't sure what you like, so I got you a bunch of things." He produced a king-sized Reeses, a bag of gummy bears, and a plain chocolate bar.

"Oh jeez. You must be trying to get me fat or something." I accused.

"No way! I swear!" he said, throwing up his hands. I giggled.

"We can share it."

We opened up our candy and dug in as the movie started.

"Hey, down in front, porcupine!" a voice called out.

Max didn't say anything; he simply pointed his middle finger up in the air with a roll of his eyes. The voice did not reply.

As the movie played, I could feel Max's arm slowly creeping around my shoulders. I wasn't sure if I wanted it there or not, but it felt so warm and nice, so I didn't say anything. I felt him twirl a lock of my hair around his fingers. During a very nasty and gory scene, I couldn't help but draw closer to him, chewing on my fingernails, half-hiding my eyes on his shoulder.

"I thought you liked horror movies?" he whispered with a snort of laughter.

"Yeah, but they still gross me out sometimes!" I replied.

When the movie ended, we left, Max once again taking my hand gently into his. Out in the lobby, I saw a bunch of guys dressed the same way as Max. I wondered if they knew each other. I didn't have to wonder for long.

"Steve! Tom! Will!" Max said, excited. He pulled me over to the group.

"Max! Long time no see, buddy!" one of the guys said. He had twice as many piercings as Max, a couple tattoos, and a shocking pink mohawk.

"Who's the chick, Max?" another guy asked. He was wearing torn army fatigues and scuffed combat boots, but with his long green hair and green goatee to match, I doubted he was in the army.

"Yeah, she's hot." the last guy said with a suggestive wink in my direction. This guy had a shaved head and pants even tighter than Max's.

"Hands off, Tom. This is Lily. Lily, this is Steve," mohawk, "Will," army guy, "and Tom."

"Nice to meet you . . . " I said falteringly.

"Jeez, Max, looks like she just walked out of a Gap ad." Will said with a snicker. Max frowned.

"She's not like that, Will."

"Yeah, I'm not like that." I spoke up. I didn't need Max to defend me.

"Right. Well, we're having a show next Friday, you should come down. You can bring Britney with you if you want." Steve said. He elbowed Will in the ribs and they all laughed.

"Maybe I will." Max said. "Maybe I'll even sing a few with you."

"Sounds like a blast." Steve said.

"Well, we gotta go. I'll see you Friday."

"All right, man. Later."

"Bye, dude."

"Have fun with the chick."

"Who were they?" I asked as we left the cinema.

"Some friends. I go and see their band play a lot."

"Oh. Max . . . who's Britney?"

"Oh . . . I think they were making a joke." he said uncomfortably. "I don't know anyone named Britney . . . I think they were, uh, implying that you listen to her music. Britney Spears, I mean."

I snorted. "Well, maybe they think I do, but I don't. I have a mind of my own you know.

"I know. And I don't care. I mean, I don't care if you listen to her or not. And I don't care what they think anyway. I like you." He gave me a wide grin.

As we got into Max's car, I realized something. I was as different to Max's friends as he was to almost everyone else. Yet he hadn't acted embarrassed to be with me, even when his friends teased him. He had held my hand the whole time, and he had even stuck up for me. I felt so sorry for letting go of his hand when those people were staring at us.

Max walked with me back to our building. We paused outside my door. He let go of my hand and turned to face me.

"I had a really great time tonight." Max said.

"Me too." I said.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah. Good night."

"Good night." He leaned in to kiss me. I pulled away, not completely sure if I wanted this, and still anxious about his piercing. He sighed, then turned to leave.

"Max, wait!" I called out before I even realized what I was doing. My heart thudded in my chest. He turned, a hopeful look flickering across his disappointed face.

"Could . . . could you take that lip ring off first? It kinda freaks me out." I said softly.

He beamed. "Of course." He turned to the side to work the metal out of his lip, then suddenly turned and kissed me. His mouth was soft and gentle on mine as he caressed the side of my face with his hand. He pulled back slowly and licked his lips, his eyes half-closed.

"You taste like strawberry shortcake." he whispered with a small smile. I giggled shyly, not knowing what to say. "I'll see you tomorrow, Lily." His deep voice was husky. "Good night."

"Good night, Max." I watched him walk back to his room for a moment before heading inside, and this time I did not chastise myself for checking out his butt.


End file.
